The Strongest Flower
by x Ino Fan x
Summary: Because, in reality, dancing in front of the rest made even the shiest flower strong. [[Slight NarutoHinata, Hinata centric]]


The Strongest Flower

_Italics flashback_

---

It was surreal; a dream even. The blossoms were riding the wind, a unique dance of pale petals and buds. The tree that used to hold them seemed to bend down, watching the dance, wishing them the best on their journey. The flowers seemed to laugh at each other, guffaw at their own movements. They tired, swayed, became rejuvenated and leapt into the wind once again. All except one.

She had eyes for none of the other blossoms. The beautiful ones, the carefree ones, the ones that were dancing with each other. They were all the same. They may look different, each beautiful, but they didn't have the certain difference that the one left on the tree did.

No, Hinata only watched the one that lingered on the tree. The one that seemed ignored by the rest, hidden behind the leaves, watching the rest in envy.

"_Hinata!" Boomed a firm voice. "Bring the tea!" Hinata's eyes flew open, her concentration broken. She quickly grabbed her bag and ran from the serene garden into the main house courtyard. She watched her cousin, Neji, and her father train, Byukagen eyes flying, hands expertly striking. She shook her head. Envy. She had learned not to feel it, not to look at the other girls, the ones that could speak their minds, not to look unkindly upon her sister, her cousin Neji. These were things that couldn't be helped. _

_She wasn't like them, she knew it, they knew it._

_She quickly rushed the tea into the cups, filling them with water, dripping on the clean floor. She sighed. She would clean it up later. She put them on a tray with haste, and lifted it up. She quickly walked over to the training area, setting the tray down carefully. Neither Neji nor her father paid any attention to her presence. _

"_You are indeed one of the strongest of the Hyuuga Clan. I am proud of you." Her father told Neji, placing a hand on his shoulder and showing a rare smile. Neji nodded, emotionless._

_She bowed quickly and walked back, not wanting to show her face, where the tears were falling as fast as a waterfall._

Hinata sighed, shaking her head. No, she didn't mind anymore. Not about being the invisible one, not about being different. She watched the scene again, hiding behind a rose bush, as if the scene in front of her saw her spying on it, it would stop, and never again would the flowers dance for her. Her eyes watched in fascination, staring at the small blossom still on the tree.

_"Do what you want with her. She is of no use to me."_

_Those words killed her inside, ate away at her confidence. Hinata clutched a shuriken to her chest, and stared down, tears threatening to fall. "I mustn't cry..." She whispered, so soft that no one could hear her. "I am a shinobi."_

_At this moment, Kurenai walked out, a look of pity on her face. Hinata looked up, tears falling faster. Kurenai tried to smile, but it came out as a look of sympathy._

Hurtful memories came flooding back to Hinata, watching the tree and the small flower that still held on. Suddenly a gust of wind blew, and all of the other flowers seemed to fall to the ground, tired of their dance, ready to stop.

Except for that one blossom that she watched. It seemed to look down at the others and say 'Oh, you're done now? Already?'. Hinata's eyebrows came together in a look of confusion. Suddenly, the wind blew again, whirling the others into a small pond to the right of the tree. They floated, small ripples in the water accenting their beauty. They seemed to smile at each other, mingling, again laughing. They knew as well as any other that they depended on the water.

Suddenly, that little petal broke off from the tree, winding down to the ground in a straight line. Hinata let out a small gasp. She willed it to believe in itself, to dance like the others.

"_Face it. People can't change fate." Neji sneered. She closed her eyes. Tears threatening to fall, yet again._

All her life she had been afraid of being weak, she knew it, and they knew it.

_  
But now they would know that she wasn't afraid anymore._

"Byukagen!" She cried out, in her usually shy voice. A gasp was heard from her sensei, Kurenai. She smiled, a small, usually hidden thing. 'I believe in myself…I believe that I can change.' She thought silently.

The small, pale purple flower suddenly whisked into a lively dance, the wind teaching it, gently letting it flow through the sky. Hinata's eyes shone as she watched it fall, rise, fall, rise. It was all on its own for now; it was dancing a solo, telling everyone to watch. It was doing something that it had never done before, in front of everyone. Hinata watched with keen interest, as the smallest, palest, shiest flower had its moment, dancing in front of the world, all on its own.

At the end of its dance, it settled on the grass, a little purple star on a sky of green. Hinata's eyes began to tear. She didn't know why…but this flower's dance made her heart quicken and soul flush with excitement.

Another gust of wind blew, a gentle breeze, and the flower rolled into the pond with all of the others. It could be seen easily in the field of pink, for the purple stood out boldly. Hinata tiptoed carefully over the pond, her heart leading her. She kneeled down and carefully scooped the purple flower into her hand, water below it. It seemed to smile up at her.

"Hinata? Hinaaaaaaataaaaa?" Came a voice. She turned around, eyes wide. There stood a certain blonde haired shinobi, looking rather confused. "What are you doing? I thought you were gonna meet me at Ichiraku!" He said, looking slightly displeased. His hunger usually got the best of him.

"S-sorry, Naruto-kun. I…" She stared down at the flower.

"It's alright. Let's go, okay?" He said, smiling. He took her hand.

"Wait." She said softly. She bent down, and put the flower back into the water, which provided it with a reason to believe in itself.

"That's pretty." Naruto remarked simply, looking at the purple flower. A deep pink blush flew across Hinata's face.

"Thanks." Was all she said. And as they walked off, hand in hand, Hinata realized something that maybe she had known all along.

She was that small flower, dancing on its own, in front of everyone else. And he was the water, the one who helped her up, provided her with that simple reason.

That reason being that if you believe in yourself…

You are simply stronger than the rest.

---

**The End.**

**And there you have it. I worked really hard on this one, so I hope that maybe you'll take the time to read it and review please, okay?**

**Thanks for everything,**

**WudaiMarsWind**


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